The Chronicle

Dear Parents

I am very relieved that the rain has stopped and, despite the cold, it is crisp and dry which bodes well for the Kenilworth Old Town Christmas light switch on this evening.  I will be there watching the Choral Group perform (and joining in with a few of the carols and songs).  It is always such an enjoyable occasion and a good start to the weekend.

This week we welcomed guests on Monday and Tuesday who carried out a Religious Education inspection.  The inspectors visited classes, attended Mass and collective worship and spoke to both staff and students.  I am encouraged by the initial feedback and will update you once the full and final feedback has been received.  My thanks to all staff and particularly Mrs Jackson-Mayne, Mrs Simmonds and the RE staff, Mrs Horan, Mrs Holmes, Mdme Tatton, Mrs C Hill, Mrs Whitehurst and Mrs Convey.  I would also like to thank Father Kevin for making time in his very busy schedule to speak to the inspectors on Monday and celebrate Mass on Tuesday.  I am also grateful to our Trustees who came into school for the inspection, namely, Mrs Griffin and Miss McNamara.

On Thursday Nursery, Reception and Junior 1 visited the Warwick Arts Centre to watch a performance of Raymond Briggs’ ‘Father Christmas’.  Mrs Glen-Roots commented on how much the children enjoyed the performance and that it was almost a private performance just for Crackley Hall.  Thank you to all the staff and parent helpers who helped make this visit possible.

Mrs Jackson-Mayne was accompanied by children from across the school when they visited St Nicholas’ Church to take part in the local school competition to decorate a Christmas tree.  All children were asked to make a decoration for the tree and this is now on display in the church.  Please do try and pop in to the church if you have an opportunity.

The Book Fair arrived at school this week and will also be open at the Winter Wonderland tomorrow.  This has proved to be a very successful fair this year and I thank you for supporting this which in turns allows us to purchase books from Scholastic with the rewards from sales.  Thank you to Mrs Horan and her team of helpers, including J6, for organising this event.

I am delighted to announce the winner of our Christmas card design which will be used as the Crackley Hall Christmas card and was also submitted to the CISC Christmas Card Competition.  This year’s theme was ‘Peace and Light’; the entries were of a very high standard but it was decided that Matilda’s design would be selected as our entry for the competition and the school card.  Issey, Merryn, Blythe and Soren were also shortlisted and have been incorporated into the school card as our runners-up.

Last Friday evening I had the pleasure of attending the Princethorpe Annual Prize Giving at Butterworth Hall.  I have already mentioned to staff that I was delighted to see so many ex-Crackley Hall students receiving prizes and even more pleased when those children took the time to recall to me how much they enjoyed their time here.  I am sure that this will become a regular feature with the children that will be continuing their education within the Foundation.  Our ex-pupils received the very top awards on offer.  Congratulations to them and their families.

The weather affected sports fixtures and clubs this week but I am hoping that next week will return to the planned schedule.  Congratulations to our girls’ football team on their excellent efforts in the tournament this week.

Preparations for the Winter Wonderland have been taking place for some time now but activity has increased today with Mrs Lamb and her dedicated PTA team preparing for tomorrow’s event.   Thank you to everyone who has contributed donations, agreed to staff a stall or who will be attending tomorrow.  Events such as this make a huge impact on fund raising which benefit the children directly.  More importantly, it brings together our whole school community.  The PTA play a vital role in helping school and I am hugely grateful to the time that they give.

Congratulations to our stars of the week: Charley, Jess, Leyton, Josh, Sumhar, Sienna, Eve, Jay, Holly, George, Anabel, Francesca, Lucas and Annabel.  The recipient of our RE Book of the Week was Elsie – well done!  The Junior 5 staff awarded Mathlete to Thomas and Freddie; congratulations to you both.  I was delighted to see a closely-fought house competition this week, with Venus winning and the fourth-placed house just 10 points behind.

I look forward to seeing you either tonight at the light switch on or tomorrow at the Winter Wonderland where I will be praying for the weather to be kind to us all.  Have a restful and happy weekend.

God bless

Mr Duigan